Lifesaving Society Bronze Medallion

Service Description

The Lifesaving Society Bronze Medal Awards provide a fun and challenging progression of lifesaving training. Prerequisite for Bronze Medallion: Minimum 13 years of age OR Bronze Star certification (need not be current, but must be submitted via email prior to the start date). This course challenges the candidate both mentally and physically. Judgment, knowledge, skill, and fitness – the four components of water rescue – form the basis of Bronze Medallion training. Candidates acquire the assessment and problem-solving skills needed to make good decisions in, on, and around the water. Bronze Medallion is a prerequisite for assistant lifeguard training in Bronze Cross. In Bronze Medallion: Candidates will learn about the Lifesaving Society’s training program opportunities, the drowning chain of survival, the rescue process, cold water, and risk assessment and response. They will demonstrate independent entries and searches, and preform removals, tows, carries, defences and releases on simulated victims (peers). Candidates will develop victim recognition, submerged victim recovery and preform single-rescuer drowning resuscitation (CPR) on a manikin, along with self-rescues in clothing from cold and moving water. Candidates will continue to develop their swimming proficiency with 25 m swims of each: front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke, head-up front crawl, head-up breaststroke, whip kick, eggbeater and scissor kick, and complete a 400 m timed swim (12 min max) and 50 m rescue drill. Throughout this course, candidates will be instructed in three rescue situations: from land, in open water and of a non-breathing victim. The course will conclude with a situational exam which is solely based on these three rescues. This is a pass/fail course: If a candidate fails this course, they will be required to retake the entire Bronze Medallion course before they can move on to Bronze Cross. Upon passing Bronze Medallion: Candidates will receive a certification directly from the Lifesaving Society. Bronze Medallion is the first REQUIRED prerequisite on the path to becoming a lifeguard and swim instructor.